FINANCIAL AUDITORS
What is a financial audit?
A financial audit is the inspection of an individual’s or organization’s financial statements in accordance with accounting standards.
Here’s a quick overview of the skills you should look for in financial audit professionals:
- Financial auditing
- Accounting
- Financial analysis
Why do you want to hire financial auditors?
The trick to finding top financial auditors is to identify your needs. Is your goal to find an impartial third party to audit your cash flow statements and balance sheet? Will you also need localized expertise to ensure your financial statements are in compliance with local laws and regulations? The cost of your project will depend largely on your scope of work and the specific skills needed to bring your project to life.
HOW TO HIRE FINANCIAL AUDITORS
A financial auditor can help you ensure your internal accounting practices are in compliance with government regulations and tax laws.
So how do you hire financial auditors? What follows are some tips for finding top financial auditors on Upwork.
How to shortlist financial audit professionals
As you’re browsing available financial audit consultants, it can be helpful to develop a shortlist of the professionals you may want to interview. You can screen profiles on criteria such as:
- Certified public accountant (CPA) accreditation. Some audits, such as the SOC (Service Organization Control) 1 and SOC 2 reports, must be performed by a CPA.
- Project experience. Screen candidate profiles for specific skills and experience (e.g., auditing a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization).
- Feedback. Check reviews from past clients for glowing testimonials or red flags that can tell you what it’s like to work with a particular financial auditor.
How to write an effective financial audit job post
With a clear picture of your ideal financial auditor in mind, it’s time to write that job post. Although you don’t need a full job description as you would when hiring an employee, aim to provide enough detail for a contractor to know if they’re the right fit for the project.
An effective financial audit job post should include:
- Scope of work: From tax audits to compliance reports, list all the deliverables you’ll need.
- Project length: Your job post should indicate whether this is a smaller or larger project.
- Background: If you prefer experience with certain industries, accounting software, or regulations, mention this here.
- Budget: Set a budget and note your preference for hourly rates vs. fixed-price contracts.
Ready to audit your financial statements? Log in and post your financial audit job on Upwork today.
FAQS FOR HIRING FINANCIAL AUDITORS
How much does it cost to hire a financial auditor?
Rates can vary due to many factors, including expertise and experience, location, and market conditions.
- An experienced financial auditor may command higher fees but also work faster, have more-specialized areas of expertise, and deliver higher-quality work.
- A contractor who is still in the process of building a client base may price their financial audit more competitively.
Which one is right for you will depend on the specifics of your project.
How long should you contract a financial auditor to complete your project?
As difficult as it is to estimate how long you will need a financial auditor, budgeting time is very important to keeping your project on track.
Be prepared to budget more time for more-demanding financial audit projects. For example, auditing the bookkeeping records of a small business will typically take less time than auditing an enterprise’s financial assets.
What are the steps involved to hire financial auditors?
Here’s how to hire financial audit consultants in four simple steps:
- Identify your project needs, whether it’s auditing cash flow statements or financial reporting policies.
- Define the scope of work and write a detailed job post. Be specific about deliverables (e.g., acquiring a third-party audit opinion for a business-loan application).
- Review proposals and shortlist potential financial auditors for unique skills needed to bring your project to life (e.g., auditing financial statements in preparation for a merger).
- Interview financial audit talent to gauge whether they’re the right fit for your project.